Method of forming braid



Dec. 1, 1925- 1,563,564

G. D. GOODSPEED METHOD OF FORMING BRAID Filed Sept. l8, 1922 mlgllmmmu 7 7 4 ,1;

iziummF-iiim I Hi Patented Dec. 1, 1925.

UNITED stares FATE??? OFFEB GEORGE D. GOODSPEED, OF GARDNER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO HEYWOOD- WAKEFIELD COMPANY, OF GARDNER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

METHOD OF FORMING BRAID.

Application filed. $epten1ber 18, 1922.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE D. Gooosrnno,

a Citizen of the United States, residing at Gardner, in the county of Worcester and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have mvented a new and useful Improvement 1n a Method of Forming Braid, of which the following, together with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

My invention relates to an improved method of forming braid, and apparatus therefor, and has for its object to provide a method and apparatus whereby braid curved or arcuate in cross section may be readily produced.

My invention relates more particularly to the production of braid, such as is employed in the manufacture of furniture, the braid consisting of a number of strands of paper fibre, reed, or similar material, and being adapted by its curved or arcuate form for covering round sections of wood work'and finishing off the edges and joints of paper fibre or reed fabrics. By the practice of my invention it is possible to produce braid which will always retain its arcuate form, and the details of my method will hereinafter more fully appear, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which,

Fig. 1 is a view in front elevation of a portion of a braiding machine embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan View showing a portion of the parts of Fig. 1, on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view along the line 33, of Fig. 2. r

.Fig. 4: is a fragmentary sectional view at the point A in Fig. 3, the parts being shown on an enlarged scale to better illustrate my improved method.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures.

Referring to the drawings, the machine generally consists of a frame 1 supporting the usual top and bottom plates 2 and 3 respectively, between which are mounted a series of driving gears arranged to drive a series of bobbin carriers 4 guided in-raceways formed in the top plate 2, as is usual in braiding machines. Bobbins 5 are mounted on the carriers 4, and a strand 6, preferably of wood fibre or reed, passes through a tension weight 7 from each bobbin 5 and Serial No. 588,864..

extends upwardly to the forming rolls, to be hereinafter described.

The particular arrangement of the parts of the braiding machine described thus far forms no part of the present invention, and only somuch of the machine has been shown and described as to make clear the relation of my invention thereto. Suffice it to say that the bobbin carriers 4c are so moved during the operation of the machine that the several strands 6 are interlaced with each other to form the braid which may consist of any desired number of strands 6.

The several strands 6 converge above the plate 2 and pass over a guide roll 8 supported by arms 9 extending from an upright member 10 of the frame. A plurality of forming rolls 11, 12 and 13 are rotatably supported between side members 14 suspended from the top member 15 of the frame by hangers 16. The shafts of the rolls 11, 12 and 13 are provided with intermeshing gears 17, and the shaft 11 of the roll 11 is further provided with a gear 18 in mesh with a driving pinion 19. The pinion 19 is mounted on a shaft 20 extending between the members 14:, and provided at its other end with a sprocket wheel 21 driven by a chain 22 from a suitable source of power, not shown, whereby all of the rolls 11, 12 and 13 are driven in unison. Rolls 11 and 13 are provided with enlarged cylindrical portions 23 and 2 1 respectively, and grooves 25 and 26,. arcuate in cross section, are formed in the portions 23 and 21 respectively. .The roll 12 is provided with a reduced portion 27, upon which is formed a peripheral projection 28 which is adapted to enter the grooves 25 and 26 on either side of the roll 12, sufficient space being left between the surfaces of the projection 28 p and the grooves 25 and 26 to permit the passage of all of the strands 6 while the I braid is being formed, as will now be described.

It will be apparent from an inspection of Fig. 3, that as the several strands 6 converge upon the guide roll 8, the braid is not yet formed, the strands 6 at that time merely having been loosely interwoven so as to occupy the desired relation with respect to each other. As the strands 6 pass from the guide roll 8 between the forming rolls 11 and 12,

and enter the space between the projection 28 and the bottom of the groove 25, the strands are constrained to arrange themselves in arcuate form, and this arrangement is completed by the time the braid reaches the point A, at substantially the top of the roll 12, the section of Fig. 4 being taken at this point.

It has been found that if one stands look ing down on the top of the forming rolls, as in Fig. 2, and observes the braid forming over the projection 28 on the roll 12, he will note that the outside or lower strands 6 are being drawn back by the tension weights 7 of the carriers, while the strands nearest the observer are stretching and drawing oil" of .the bobbins 5 against the action of the tension weights. There are a few strands however, between the outer edges and the midsection of the braid which show little or no movement.

In order to illustrate more clearly the ac tion which takes place during the formation of the braid, the cross sections of the strands forming the braid at the point A, have been shown in Fig. t. The black circles represent strands which are being drawn back by the tension weights 7, while the white circles represent the strands which are in tension. The strands between the outside edges and middle section of the braid which show little or no movement, are indicated by a dot within the circle. a I

The reason that the strands represented by the white circles are drawn off at a higher rate than the edge strands, while intermediate strands are drawn off at an intermediate 'ate, lies in the fact that they are being moved around and close to a curved surface which, from a geometrical standpoint, is best described as being of the second order. Such a surface is one that has been distorted, or curved, in two ways, as distinguished from surfaces of the first order, such as cylinders or cones. Spheres, paraboloids and ellipsoids, sometimes called oblate spheroids, are examples of curved surfaces of thesecond order, and it is obvious that the strands are constrained to move around such a surface in carrying out my invention.

From the foregoing then it is apparent that by my invention 1 have provided an improved method and apparatus whereby braid, arcuate in cross section, may be formed so that it will retain its shape after passing from between the rolls 12 and 13 of the machine. An inspection of a section of completed braid produced by my machine, discloses the fact that the outside strands remain tight and present a firm edge, as contrasted to the loose strands found on braid which is first formed fiat and then passed through a set of forming rolls, as has been done prior to my invention. Braid produced by my improved method and machine is particularly adapted for use in covering round sections of wood work and for finishing oil the edges and joints of paper fibre or reed fabrics, as employed in the manufacture of furniture, for the reason that the formed braid will always retain its shape and present a neat and finished appearance.

\Vhile I have shown my invention as being carried out by the employment of a particular type of braiding machine, it is obviously not so limited, but is capable of various modifications within the scope of the ap pended claim.

I claim,

The herein described method of producing braid from tenacious or non-flaccid strands which consists in drawing off the strands at the edge of the braid at a constant and equal rate, drawing oil the center-most strands at a higher rate and drawing off the intermedi ate strands at varying intermediate rates dependent upon their position in the braid, any given strand being drawn off at a greater or less rate than the other strands according to which is furthermost from the center, while confining the strands as the braid forms, thus producing a braid permanently arcuate in form, with the braid at the center of a more open character than at the edges which are firm.

Dated this twelfth day of September, 1922.

GEORGE D. GOODSPEED. 

